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Drive like Gran's in the car: new road safety ads target young male drivers

A new campaign urges young motorists to drive like their granny's in the car with them.

Targeted at young male drivers in particular, the #DriveSmart campaign from Road Safety Scotland features a series of larger-than-life 'gran' characters, who unexpectedly appear in the car while their grandsons are driving.

It comes after research found that young drivers change their driving behaviour depending on who they have in the car with them. Those surveyed said that they drive more carefully when they are carrying "precious cargo" like their gran in the car.

They also admitted to being concerned about letting down family members with their poor driving behaviour.

Almost two thirds (61%) of Scottish men aged 20-29 consider themselves to be either very good or excellent drivers, yet the latest figures reveal that over 2,040 were involved in accidents in the last 12 months, with 314 killed or seriously injured.

Across the UK, younger drivers (aged 17-24) are more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash, compared with other age groups. They make up just 7% of all licence holders but represent 20% of all drivers killed or seriously injured, inews.co.uk reports.

"Young men are prone to over-confidence in their abilities, a misplaced sense of control and a desire to push themselves and their cars to the limits," McDonnell explained.

"This campaign will address some of the key contributing factors that lead to casualties on Scotland's roads in a way that young men will take notice of. Next time the drivers see themselves slipping into bad habits, they should imagine Gran is in the car with them."